vs Polynesian rat

Microbotryum scorzonerae compared with Rattus exulans

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Polynesian rat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Polynesian rat
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Microbotryomycetes (Microbotryomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Microbotryales (Microbotryales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Microbotryaceae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Microbotryum	Rattus
Species	Microbotryum scorzonerae	Rattus exulans

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Polynesian rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Polynesian rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Polynesian rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (6 countries), Europe (United Kingdom), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (Chile).

Microbotryum scorzonerae is a smut fungus specifically parasitizing Scorzonera and related plants in the daisy family. It replaces the pollen and ovules of host plants with dark spore masses, reducing host reproduction. This highly specialized pathogen inhabits grasslands and steppe environments where its Scorzonera hosts occur.